Holy Trinity Church will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2017, and will host a free public lecture tracing its roots”. Titled “The Russian Church on the Hill: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church’s Immigrant Roots 1917-2017,” the lecture will highlight the early days of Orthodox Christianity in the Kansas City area and trace its development since the parish’s establishment 100 years ago.

Speakers include: Victoria Sherry, who directed the Heartland Orthodox Museum, Topeka, KS from 2001 to 2004 and author of a number of works recounting the state’s Russian, Serbian, Greek and Lebanese communities, who will speak on “The History of Orthodoxy in Kansas City.” Vera Konova Brown, Ph.D., a Russian heritage scholar and iconographer who is directing two grant-funded projects on the history of Holy Trinity Church, will outline the early history of the community, while Victoria Jones, a long-time member of Holy Trinity Church, teacher and religious educator, will speak about the transformation of the parish since the 1970s. Additional information is available on Holy Trinity Church’s Facebook Page.

The Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America, and the Clergy Brotherhood of the S.O.C., welcome and encourage all Clergy and Laity, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, to attend the Sts. Sebastian and Mardarije Orthodox Institute.

Rev. Fr. Vasileios Thermos, M.D., Ph.D. is a priest of the Church of Greece. Together with his priestly ministry in Athens, he is a practicing psychiatrist, and is Professor of Pastoral Theology and Psychology at the University Ecclesiastical Academy in Athens. The author of many books and articles, he has offers spiritually provocative and clinically informed programs and retreats in Greece, the United States, Albania, and Cyprus. His insights into the fields of theology and psychology are combined with a strong undercurrent in psychoanalytic thought.

Upon successful completion, and full course participation, participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Institute, recognizing their continuing education in Orthodox theory and practice.?

Come join us for the Winter/Spring session of our Cooperative Catechism, ‘Introduction to Orthodoxy’ classes. Texts used in class include: Introducing the Orthodox Church by Coniaris, The Orthodox Church by Ware, The Orthodox Way by Ware, The Faith by Carlton.

ABOUT THE COURSE: This course will be taught in the Traditional method using egg tempera. There will be no gilding in this course. It is designed for those who have painted an icon previously, and will be finished in time for Holy Week, when the icon can be used to celebrate the Bridegroom Matins. Due to time constraints there will be no gilding. Classes will be six hours each day (except Sunday), including a lunch break. Please bring your own lunch (or you can buy it at near-by café’s). We will be discussing the historical development and meaning of this icon during the class, as well as hearing some of the hymnography from the Bridegroom Matins.

Priceless archaeological treasure surfaces after storm in Crete, Greece! Georgia State University (GSU) Center for Hellenic Studies is proud to sponsor a series of lectures in celebration of the art and archaeology of the remarkable Greek island of Crete.

The Center will host an afternoon lecture series dedicated to an exciting new exploration of the Asphendou cave paintings from southwest Crete. There is every reason to suspect that these petroglyphs represent the oldest visual art ever seen in Greece, and this will be the first-ever public presentation of this material to the general public. We are both grateful and excited that our speakers have agreed to share this material with us.

The program will be held in the Troy Moore Library on the 23rd floor at 25 Park Place (the old Sun Trust Building). It will include:

Known as the best art-house film of all time, and immediately suppressed by the Soviets in 1966, Andrei Tarkovsky’s epic masterpiece is a sweeping medieval tale of Russia’s greatest icon painter. Too experimental, too frightening, too violent, and too politically complicated to be released officially, Andrei Rublev has existed only in shortened, censored versions until the Criterion Collection created this complete 205-minute director’s cut special edition. Not suitable for anyone under 17.

The program will include a brief overview of the film’s historical context, a 30 minute intermission, and an informal discussion with complimentary refreshments after the film.

Please join us at our first Women’s Inspirational Prayer Luncheon. This will be a time of spiritual refreshing and renewal through Prayer, Worship, Praise Dancing, and Fellowship. As we worship Christ in the beauty of holiness we are expecting to have amazing encounters in His presence. We definitely won’t let you leave without a dynamic Preached Word that is sure to encourage and edify each of us to continue to shine brightly for Christ.

We dohope to see you there…you don’t want to miss what God will do in our midst.

The Naples-based Christian Rights and Freedom Institute announces the next event in its series of lectures, films, and panel discussions for the 2016-17 Season. On Tuesday, February 21 Dr. George E. Demacopoulos, Professor of Theology at Fordham University will speak on “The Role of Hellenism & Early Christianity in the Quest for Religious Liberty”. The lecture will be followed by a brief question & answer period.

This is a special extra event, jointly sponsored with The Israel Advocacy Committee of the Jewish Federation of Collier County which will take place at Temple Shalom. (A separate $15 entry fee applies). DR. Jasser heads this American think tank which is built on the premise of advocating for the principles of the U.S. Constitution, liberty and freedom through the separation of mosque and state. A devout American Muslim, Jasser is a Commissioner on the congressionally appointed U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). He is an ardent activist for universal human rights and against the global movement of political Islam (Islamism) that holds Muslims around the world under the thumb of theocratic regimes.

The evenings will begin at 6:00PM with a Lenten Service. At 7:30 a Lenten Community Meal will be provided by individuals, family, ministry, committee, or any group encouraged to do so. The Lectures will be given at

8:00PM and a question and answer session will follow until 8:45PM evenings’ conclusion. There are two basic themes: WEDNESDAYS’ THEME: Modern Heresies and FRIDAYS’ THEME: The Torah, aka the Pentateuch.

Whom this convention is for: 1- Youth from 18-45 years old, 2- Arabic speaking since all activities will be in Arabic, 3- Live in State of Florida. We welcome visitors from outside Florida state but transportation to/from the retreat house is on your own.

His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios will be traveling to each of our Metropolis Conferences during the month of March to meet with clergy, parish leaders, and parishioners. He and His Metropolis co-workers will share updates on our Metropolis ministries, including our Strategic Plan. Those present will be invited to engage in dialogue following presentations, ask questions, and exchange updates and resources to support our parishes and Metropolis ministries.

“HAJJI MAMA” OR THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY HAJJ TO JERUSALEM
A lecture by Valentina Izmirlieva, Chair of the Department of Slavic Languages at Columbia UniversityRespondents: Fordham professors Sarit Kattan Gribetz(theology) and Ebru Turan(history)

From the 17th to 19th centuries, in the European part of the Ottoman Empire, some Orthodox Christians modeled their pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the Muslim hajj to Mecca. They even called themselves hajjis, using an Islam ichonorific, but insisted on the Christian ethos of their quest.This lecture will show how the Orthodox “hajj” emerged within Muslim Ottoman culture as a Christian family project and as a surprising vehicle for female empowerment.

Note:ROSE HILL CAMPUS | FORDHAM UNIVERSITY | BRONX, NY

Registration requested:fordham.edu/orthodoxy/
This lecture appears courtesy of the institutional partnership between the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University and the Black Sea Networks Initiative of Columbia University.

St. Gregory Palamas Festival of Light Lenten Retreat will feature Rev. Barnabas Powell as the guest speaker. The topic is: “Normal-Orthodox Healthy Church, Knowing the True Faith in Order to Practice it Truly”

Title of the retreat: “The Divine Scriptures of the Orthodox Church: Reading the Bible as an Orthodox Christian”

Speaker: Fr. Philip Tolbert, an archpriest in the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada & Australia (Bulgarian Patriarchate) who is also the National Director of the Bulgarian Orthodox Youth Apostolate (Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministries).

‘Living the Faith in our Daily Lives’ is a two day Pan-Orthodox Retreat with featuring author and podcaster Elissa Bjeletich. The topics are: ON MARRIAGE, PARENTING AND CAREGIVING, AND CREATING AN ORTHODOX HOME IN AMERICA.

This event takes place in two locations, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday March 11 & 12, 2017.

Mother Gabriella of the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, MI will be the guest speaker. Open to teens and adults, Mother Gabriella will explore the topic of “Spiritual Growth and the Virtues” in two separate presentations.

Babysitting will be available for children at least five years of age for a nominal fee of $10.00 per child. Register on-line at: http://domoca.org/news_170224_3.html

The Chicago Deanery recently released its schedule of Sunday evening Lenten Vesper Services, all of which will begin at 6:00 p.m. Brief homilies focusing on the “Psalms of Ascent” chanted at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts will be offered weekly. After each service, the faithful are invited to partake of a light lenten supper and fellowship.

Prospective Student Open House: Are you called to study at St. Vladimir’s Seminary?

To help you discern, we warmly welcome you to our campus Open House March 15–17, 2017, for an immersion experience into seminary life: attend chapel services and classes, meet the President and select faculty, share community meals, and spend time with seminarians and their families.For more information:http://www.svots.edu/events/prospective-student-open-house

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Upcoming Events

The Mission Field needs medical professionals to volunteer on short-term mission teams this summer! Administering health care to people who do not normally have access to treatment is such an essential part of OCMC missions,

The Berlin Painter and His World Athenian Vase-Painting in the Early Fifth Century B.C. This exhibition of ancient Athenian vase-painting, organized by the Princeton University Art Museum, focuses on the art and career of the

Proclaiming 2017 as the “125th Year of Orthodox Christianity in Greater Chicago,” the region’s ruling bishops have endorsed a historic celebration to take place on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy

“Even Tears Were Not Enough” is the second documentary by John Righetti and Maria Silvestri. It features scholars and survivors telling the story of the forced deportation of Poland’s Carpatho-Rusyn population by the Polish Communist

United States Session Title: Views To and From the Wondrous Mountain (Panel 3A) Session Date: Oct 6, 2017 (2:30 PM – 4:35 PM) For more information: https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/bsc2017/registration The body of the stylite, ambiguously depicted as

The Stephen and Catherine Pappas Patristic Institute of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is pleased to announce a “Symposium on Creation and Ecology: Insights from Patristic and Contemporary Christian Sources”. This symposium is